Karen Cheser is the Superintendent of the Ft. Thomas, KY school district, a nationally-recognized, high-performing school system in the beautiful city of Ft. Thomas in northern KY. She was formerly Deputy Superintendent/ Chief Academic Officer of the Boone County Schools (22,000 students), a KY District of Innovation. Earning an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership and Business Informatics from Northern Kentucky University, Cheser also has B.A., M.Ed. degrees and other coursework from Western Kentucky University, Northern Kentucky University and the University of Kentucky.
Cheser’s career in education began in 1988 and has included positions as a teacher, coach, literacy and math specialist, principal, KY Distinguished Educator and district administrator. Prior to her years in education, she worked for Procter & Gamble Inc. in sales and brand management.
Cheser serves on the EdLeader21 National Advisory Board, Greater Cincinnati STEM Collaborative Advisory Council, Greater Cincinnati Service Learning Executive Committee, Leadership NKY Advisory Council and has been the co-chair of NKY Education Council Action Team 2 (College and Career Readiness) for seven years. She was the 2016 Toyota/Storer Business Collaboration Award winner, a 2015 AASA National Woman Administrator of the Year Award finalist, Vision 2015 Champion of Education, a 2015 Outstanding Woman of NKY, 2013 KY District Administrator of the Year and A.D. Albright Outstanding Administrator (NKY Chamber of Commerce, 2009). She has presented at numerous regional and national conferences, on topics such as RTI at IRA , 21st century skills at NSBA, and dispositional hiring at AASA.
Cheser resides in Union, KY, with her husband and two sons, ages 14 and 17. In her spare time she coaches her sons’ FIRST Tech Challenge Robotics and Odyssey of the Mind teams.